I would imagine this is the best possible news for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who walked off his post in Afghanistan in 2009, and found himself imprisoned by the Taliban for five years.
Today, a military judge sentenced Bergdahl with a dishonorable discharge but no prison time.
Bergdahl, who pleaded guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, faced up to life in prison. Defense attorneys had asked for leniency, citing the five years Bergdahl spent in Taliban captivity, criticism from Donald Trump on the campaign trail, and his mental state.
But prosecutors hoped to prove that Bergdahl endangered his comrades by abandoning his post and called for a 14-year prison sentence.
The judge, Col. Jeffery Nance, reduced Bergdahl’s military grade to the lowest level in announcing his sentence. Bergdahl was nervous, clenching both hands as he left the court with his lawyers.
Soldiers, relatives of soldiers, experts, a psychiatrist, and Bergdahl himself testified during the sentencing hearing.
A former Grindr employee, using the name John Doe, has filed a lawsuit against the dating app company saying a Human Resources supervisor drugged him at a 2016 holiday party, and then raped him in a hotel room.
According to the suit, Daniel Cabanero has been named as the one who drugged him, allegedly put him in a car, and took him to a hotel room where he woke up to find himself being raped.
Doe says he passed out again during the act, but immediately went to a hospital emergency room when he woke up for a rape exam.
Doe says he informed law enforcement and he believes the investigation is still ongoing.
Additionally, Doe alleges other Grindr employees knew what was happening at the party and didn’t move to protect him.
According to Doe, the office environment at Grindr is rife with sexual comments and innuendo.
Stilling obsessing over his 2016 opponent, Donald Trump went on yet another wild Twitter rant this morning wondering why the FBI isn’t investigating a host of Hillary Clinton issues (#fakenews) as former Trump campaign officials are being indicted and charged for various alleged crimes.
Can you say “Change the subject?”
What Trump is really mad about is the revelation that he did know something about Russian connections during the 2016 campaign.
At a March 31, 2016, meeting between Mr. Trump and his foreign policy team, Mr. Papadopoulos introduced himself and said “that he had connections that could help arrange a meeting between then-candidate Trump and President Putin,” according to court records.
“He went into the pitch right away,” said J. D. Gordon, a campaign adviser who attended the meeting. “He said he had a friend in London, the Russian ambassador, who could help set up a meeting with Putin.”
Mr. Trump listened with interest. Mr. Sessions vehemently opposed the idea, Mr. Gordon recalled. “And he said that no one should talk about it,” because Mr. Sessions thought it was a bad idea that he did not want associated with the campaign, he said.
And so, Trump takes to Twitter to deflect and obfuscate:
The real story on Collusion is in Donna B’s new book. Crooked Hillary bought the DNC & then stole the Democratic Primary from Crazy Bernie!
“Pocohontas,” also known as Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, clapped back:
I understand your desperation to change the subject, @realDonaldTrump. Your campaign mgr was just indicted for conspiracy against the US. https://t.co/Bazcx4IbX2
More bad news for Kevin Spacey as the sexual harassment allegations continue to add up.
From JustJared:
Kevin Spacey has been dropped by both his talent agents at CAA and his publicist Staci Wolfe at Polaris amid allegations that he has sexually harassed and assaulted several men, some underage, over the years, according to Deadline.
The two-time Oscar-winning actor is in the midst of a very public scandal right now after actor Anthony Rapp came forward with an allegation of sexual assault when he was only 14.
In his response to the accusation, Spacey said he didn’t remember the incident and then came out as a gay man.
More people have come forward with allegations of sexual assault and harassment since then, including eight people who have worked on House of Cards.
Production on the hit Netflix series has been suspended indefinitely while the accusations are investigated.
The award-winning documentary, The Freedom To Marry, is now available for viewing on Netflix.
The film is a “War Room” style feature documentary about the movement for marriage for same-sex couples, from the final frenetic months of the legal and grassroots campaign.
The Freedom to Marry has already played in 75 cities, played at dozens of film festivals, won 10 “Best Documentary” prizes, been translated into 10 languages, and has gotten rave reviews—from The Boston Globe to Entertainment Weekly.
If you haven’t seen it already, this is your chance to see the untold story of one of the most successful civil rights movements of our time.
Donald Trump took to Twitter this morning to demand that Sayfullo Saipov, the Lower Manhattan truck driver who killed 8 in a terrorist attack on Tuesday, should get the death penalty.
The Trumpster wrote, in part, “NYC terrorist was happy as he asked to hang ISIS flag in his hospital room. He killed 8 people, badly injured 12. SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY!”
NYC terrorist was happy as he asked to hang ISIS flag in his hospital room. He killed 8 people, badly injured 12. SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY!
It’s extremely unusual for a president to make such a direct call to action about the death penalty.
There’s a good reason why elected officials shouldn’t comment on ongoing prosecutions. Speaking out publicly too soon can hand a defense lawyer the chance to bring up how an accused terrorist can’t get a fair trial in addition to other complications.
The President has just placed his thumb on the scales of justice. This public comment will be used to show how the driver cannot get a fair trial. Either way the trial judge rules on issue, this interjects error and multiple appeals. Well done brainless one. https://t.co/J0UmB162tM
Trump helped the terrorist with this tweet. Now prosecutors will have to spend time dealing with motions that the jury pool is tainted. https://t.co/YJk05aem6U
Some of the most famous out actors in Hollywood have been cast in the upcoming Broadway production of The Boys in the Band to be produced by megaproducer Ryan Murphy (“Glee,” “American Horror Story,” “American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson”).
Ryan Murphy will team with Wicked producer David Stone to bring a 50th-anniversary revival of The Boys in the Band to Broadway, assembling a deluxe cast that significantly includes some of the most prominent out-and-proud gay actors in Hollywood.
Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer and Andrew Rannells will head the ensemble in a production directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello.
First produced in 1968, Crowley’s biting comedy drama is a groundbreaking work among pre-Stonewall depictions of LGBTQ characters, chronicling the fun and frictions that emerge when a group of gay male friends gather for a boozy birthday party in New York City. The play is loved and loathed to an equal extent, with some calling it a perpetuation of negative bitchy stereotypes and others hailing it as a breakthrough in its intimate exploration of the attitudes and behavior of gay men at a time when cultural representation was minimal.
“The significance of The Boys in the Band cannot be underestimated,” Murphy said Wednesday in a statement. “Mart Crowley made history by giving voice to gay men onstage, in this uncompromising, blisteringly honest, and wickedly funny play. While some attitudes have thankfully shifted, it’s important to be reminded of what we have overcome and how much further we still have to go.”
Added Stone: “Everything has changed. And nothing has changed.”
Also featured in the cast will be Robin de Jesus, Brian Hutchison, Michael Benjamin Washington and Tuc Watkins. The role of “Cowboy,” a hunky hustler presented by one of the guests as a gift to birthday boy Harold (played by Quinto), remains to be cast.
This production will mark Matt Bomer’s Broadway debut.
The comic drama debuted off-Broadway in 1968 hoping to run for five performances. The production became an instant sell-out and ran for over 1,000 performances.
The movie adaptation, released in 1970 featuring the original stage cast, continues to be a milestone in queer cinema.
While being touted as a “revival,” this will actually be the first appearance of the play on the Great White Way.
The Boys in the Band will begin a limited 15-week run at the Booth Theater on Broadway April 30, 2017.
Donald Trump’s nominee for the Department of Agriculture’s chief scientist, Sam Clovis, has withdrawn his name from consideration after it became apparent he had no “hard” science background.
Clovis, who possesses a bachelor’s degree in political science, an MBA degree and a doctorate in public administration, repeatedly acknowledged his lack of background in the hard sciences when responding to Stabenow.
“Please list all graduate level courses you have taken in natural science,” the second of 10 questions requested.
“None,” Clovis replied.
“Please list all membership and leadership roles you have held within any agricultural scientific, agricultural education, or agricultural economic organizations,” the third question read.
“None,” Clovis replied.
“Please describe any awards, designations, or academic recognition you have received specifically related to agricultural science,” the fourth question read.
“None,” Clovis replied.
Clovis’ actual background is as a political science professor and former talk radio host.
The WaPo notes that the position has traditionally been held by individuals with advanced degrees in science or medicine.
In the past, appointees have been chosen “from among distinguished scientists with specialized training or significant experience in agricultural research, education, and economics.”
You’ll recall during the 2016 campaign that Donald Trump boasted he would have “all the best people” in his administration. Like, talk radio hosts for science posts…?
Clovis has also become embroiled in the latest details of the Russian collusion investigation as it’s become clear he was aware of efforts by foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos to make a meeting between Team Trump and Russian agents happen. He is said to be a “cooperating witness” with the investigation.
Virulently anti-LGBT, Clovis has stated in the past that legalizing same-sex marriage would lead to the legalization of pedophilia.
BREAKING: Former Trump campaign official linked to Mueller’s Russia investigation withdraws nomination for agriculture post
Louisiana’s First Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled Gov. John Bel Edwards’ attempts to protect LGBTs who work for the state government are unconstitutional.
The Democratic governor’s positions were challenged by GOP Attorney General Jeff Landry.
“We do not live under a King in Louisiana; we have a Governor, an independent Attorney General, an elected Legislature, and a Court system who are all involved in the governing of our State,” Landry said in a written statement. “I applaud the professionalism and attention of the Court of Appeal in these matters.”
The decision comes after a three-judge panel reviewed Edwards’ executive order protecting LGBT state workers and contractors to determine whether it is constitutional.
“The Governor’s Executive Order in this case goes beyond a mere policy statement or directive to fulfill law, because there is no current state or federal law specifically outlining anti-discrimination laws concerning and/or defining sexual orientation or gender identity,” reads the decision written by Judge Toni Higginbotham on behalf of the court.
“The current laws simply prohibit discrimination based on a person’s biological sex,” she wrote.
Edwards wanted the LGBT nondiscrimination policy to apply to all of state government. His order prohibited harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, similar to bans on racial or religious discrimination.
• Saipov told investigators he was inspired to carry out the truck attack by ISIS videos he watched on his cell phone.
• In particular, he told investigators he was inspired by a video of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi asking what Muslims in the US were doing to respond to the killing of Muslims in Iraq.
• He rented a truck on Oct. 22, 2017, to “practice making turns.”
• He purposely chose Halloween as the date for the attack “because he believed there would be more civilians on the street for the holiday.”
• He planned to display ISIS flags on the truck but decided against it so as not to draw attention to himself.
• He asked investigators if he could display ISIS’s flag in his hospital room, telling them he felt good about what he had done.
Saipov remains in the hospital recovering from gunshot wounds sustained after he drove his rental truck into pedestrians killing 8 people.
Saipov has been charged on federal terrorism charges including providing material support to ISIS and violence and destruction of motor vehicles in connection with Tuesday’s attack in Manhattan.
.@SDNYnews Acting U.S. Atty Joon Kim: “Just about 24 hours after Saipov’s attack, we now have him charged with federal crimes of terrorism.” pic.twitter.com/yr9L4OxPou
